I am highly ashamed when my enthusiasm is misrepresented. Many people think that I am overly competitive or hate to lose, but in reality I just want to do my best at anything I try to do. Winning is not everything, but trying to do my best and being enthusiastic no matter how small a subject is important to me. Not caring about something because it does not have a heavy impact is like not eating because each meal will have a minimal weight gain.
Sincerity is foundational for me. When someone asks me a question, I will respond with what I genuinely think, not what I think they want to hear. I believe in saying what I mean and to never be insincere to someone, even if doing so could be beneficial to me and let me gain their favor.
I am driven by opportunity for precision. I will do anything to be precise. Things that are not fitting bother me and it bothers me even more if I do not do everything in my power to fix it. When I create something I try to make it as symmetrical as possible and make sure that I do not leave out a detail, no matter how unimportant the detail might seem to an observer.
My love of being knowledgeable influences my decisions. If I have a choice of an easy success or of acquiring more advanced knowledge, then I will choose learning because I value knowledge more than the initial idea of success; success comes with knowledge. Knowing historically important events or scientific theories that are not well known gives me a sense of accomplishment and I feel that I have found something that will be useful later in life.
I desire to always maintain or include efficiency in my life. Although I do not mind working, I always find the easiest way to do it while still making it a high quality effort. I try to make sure that when I work on something I finish it as quickly as possible.
Integrity convicts me when I am not speaking truthfully. I have a strong sense of honesty and integrity, so it is hard for me to tell a lie. I rarely answer something untruthfully and if I do it just does not feel right inside.
Progress is so important to me that I am willing to make significant sacrifices. I will do anything to get something done on time for a deadline, and sometimes give up or push back a meal or other daily routine to make sure I finish and get further with my project.
My love of mastery is a priority for me. I almost never take an answer for granted, and question if it is really what I was looking for. I will rework every detail of a problem or question if I am confused by my previous answer or think I may have made a mistake. I always aim to master anything that I attempt and never stop trying until I do.
Iliad Values Paragraph
In the Iliad by Homer the characters act with sincerity and value it so much that they unconsciously use it whenever they speak, even if it is in their
interest not to. Everyone fears the gods above all else, but despite this reverence and devoutness, they still speak their mind in a sincere and direct
manner. When speaking to a goddess, Helen still automatically gives Aphrodite a piece of her mind with "You eerie thing, why do you love / Lying
to me like this?" (Homer 3. 427-428) Even though her response to Aphrodite's trickery is in a way called for, she regrets it almost immediately. Calling
the goddess of love and beauty an "eerie thing" is something that would not easily find its way to a mere mortal's tongue, but Helen sincerely thinks so
at that moment and with instinct does not sugar coat her words and put on a facade. Sincerity is highly valued among the Greeks and Trojans and
they use it when communicating with everyone, even someone who could take offense or turn against them for what they say. Another character who
uses sincerity when addressing others is Hector. When the Greek and Trojan armies meet for the first time, Paris challenges the best hero in the
Greek army to fight him to the death. When he sees his opponent, he sulks back into the safety of his fellow Trojans. Paris' brother Hector sees this
and is outraged and responds to this turn of events with "Paris, you desperate, womanizing pretty boy! / I wish you had never been born, or had died
unmarried" (Homer 3. 45-46). This outburst made by Paris' own brother in front of hundreds of thousands of soldiers lowered the respect that he got
from his troops and made the Greeks think of Paris as a joke. This one statement destroyed his kleos and Hector could easily have softened his words
or chosen a more opportune moment to voice his opinion, but he said what he thought and he meant what he said to Paris. Even in front of such a
massive crowd he would berate his brother with his sincere feelings. By publicly criticizing Paris, Hector is showing both armies that not even those
close to Paris sincerely think that what he is doing is right. This shows that no matter what the consequences or penalties may be, the characters in
the Iliad value sincerity enough to speak their mind no matter what.
Valentin, What an unusual example of sincerity! I like it because it's fresh and nothing I pointed out in class. Can you think of other examples of sincerity? Keep this example, but now provide one more. Perhaps a soldier's sincerity on the battlefield? He uses words that he means? Thank you for spending so much time on the design of your Wiki! It looks marvelous!
Your examples are truly thoughtful. They are not kneejerk, automatic examples we discussed in class, but carefully chosen examples that come 100% from you.
Don't try to double space on a Wiki; it turns into a nightmare. Single spacing is okay.
Personal Values Paragraph
I have valued being sincere for as long as I remember. Every time that someone asks me for their opinion, I will answer truthfully. Often I am doing my
homework next to the warm glow of my desk lamp when my mom is getting back from a shopping spree. She calls for me to look at the new clothes
that she bought, and I will tell her what I really think of them. One time she pulled out a sparkly dress that she thought my sister should wear to an
event and asked for my opinion on the matter. I pointed out to her that the dress did not fit the occasion and that I thought she should return it. Telling
someone what I sincerely thought might not seem like much, but I wanted the newest Pokémon game at that time and probably would have been in a
better standing on getting it if I had resorted to flattery. In my family, my opinion is often valued and is frequently used to make decisions, mostly
because I have a reputation for being sincere, or even blunt with even the most trivial matters. Sometimes when my homework is really boring to me I
like to turn on my shiny, pitch black computer and play video games while working. The monitor whirs to life and I can lose track of time easily. This
makes finishing my homework a slow process and my parents figure it out. My mother will ask me if I have been playing games again when I have
taken an exceptionally longer time to finish my homework that day. Whenever she asks, my value of sincerity binds me to tell the truth, and if I have
then that will be my response. One night when I was lying in bed listening to the crickets chirping outside, I overheard my mom talking about me to my
father. She was talking to him about how I had stayed up so late because I had been playing on my computer again. Later on during the conversation,
she told him that I had a very honest character and had admitted to it, and this made me proud. Although I had made a mistake I had kept true to my
core values. This might be a very different scenario, but just like Hector speaking to Paris, I had spoken my mind with a sincere and honest approach.
Even if everyone has flaws, people who are sincere and truthful outshine their faults, just like a rough gem can have a scratch, but when it is cut, the
scratch is removed and it is whole once more. Lying eats away at a person's identity, and even feeling whole again for seconds is better than leading a
life of lies. As the famous author José Saramago once wrote, "If I'm sincere today, what does it matter if I regret it tomorrow?" Being sincere has its
own benefits that are worth far more than anything else.
A good idea to end with Jose Saramago's quotation. The quotation matches beautifully with the examples in your essay. Good job! I don't think sincerity is valued by many people. We live in a world where it seems much easier to depend heavily upon empty phrases, flattery, and white lies.
Values Statements
Table of Contents
Sincerity is foundational for me. When someone asks me a question, I will respond with what I genuinely think, not what I think they want to hear. I believe in saying what I mean and to never be insincere to someone, even if doing so could be beneficial to me and let me gain their favor.
I am driven by opportunity for precision. I will do anything to be precise. Things that are not fitting bother me and it bothers me even more if I do not do everything in my power to fix it. When I create something I try to make it as symmetrical as possible and make sure that I do not leave out a detail, no matter how unimportant the detail might seem to an observer.
My love of being knowledgeable influences my decisions. If I have a choice of an easy success or of acquiring more advanced knowledge, then I will choose learning because I value knowledge more than the initial idea of success; success comes with knowledge. Knowing historically important events or scientific theories that are not well known gives me a sense of accomplishment and I feel that I have found something that will be useful later in life.
I desire to always maintain or include efficiency in my life. Although I do not mind working, I always find the easiest way to do it while still making it a high quality effort. I try to make sure that when I work on something I finish it as quickly as possible.
Integrity convicts me when I am not speaking truthfully. I have a strong sense of honesty and integrity, so it is hard for me to tell a lie. I rarely answer something untruthfully and if I do it just does not feel right inside.
Progress is so important to me that I am willing to make significant sacrifices. I will do anything to get something done on time for a deadline, and sometimes give up or push back a meal or other daily routine to make sure I finish and get further with my project.
My love of mastery is a priority for me. I almost never take an answer for granted, and question if it is really what I was looking for. I will rework every detail of a problem or question if I am confused by my previous answer or think I may have made a mistake. I always aim to master anything that I attempt and never stop trying until I do.
Iliad Values Paragraph
In the Iliad by Homer the characters act with sincerity and value it so much that they unconsciously use it whenever they speak, even if it is in their
interest not to. Everyone fears the gods above all else, but despite this reverence and devoutness, they still speak their mind in a sincere and direct
manner. When speaking to a goddess, Helen still automatically gives Aphrodite a piece of her mind with "You eerie thing, why do you love / Lying
to me like this?" (Homer 3. 427-428) Even though her response to Aphrodite's trickery is in a way called for, she regrets it almost immediately. Calling
the goddess of love and beauty an "eerie thing" is something that would not easily find its way to a mere mortal's tongue, but Helen sincerely thinks so
at that moment and with instinct does not sugar coat her words and put on a facade. Sincerity is highly valued among the Greeks and Trojans and
they use it when communicating with everyone, even someone who could take offense or turn against them for what they say. Another character who
uses sincerity when addressing others is Hector. When the Greek and Trojan armies meet for the first time, Paris challenges the best hero in the
Greek army to fight him to the death. When he sees his opponent, he sulks back into the safety of his fellow Trojans. Paris' brother Hector sees this
and is outraged and responds to this turn of events with "Paris, you desperate, womanizing pretty boy! / I wish you had never been born, or had died
unmarried" (Homer 3. 45-46). This outburst made by Paris' own brother in front of hundreds of thousands of soldiers lowered the respect that he got
from his troops and made the Greeks think of Paris as a joke. This one statement destroyed his kleos and Hector could easily have softened his words
or chosen a more opportune moment to voice his opinion, but he said what he thought and he meant what he said to Paris. Even in front of such a
massive crowd he would berate his brother with his sincere feelings. By publicly criticizing Paris, Hector is showing both armies that not even those
close to Paris sincerely think that what he is doing is right. This shows that no matter what the consequences or penalties may be, the characters in
the Iliad value sincerity enough to speak their mind no matter what.
Valentin,
What an unusual example of sincerity! I like it because it's fresh and nothing I pointed out in class. Can you think of other examples of sincerity? Keep this example, but now provide one more. Perhaps a soldier's sincerity on the battlefield? He uses words that he means? Thank you for spending so much time on the design of your Wiki! It looks marvelous!
Your examples are truly thoughtful. They are not kneejerk, automatic examples we discussed in class, but carefully chosen examples that come 100% from you.
Don't try to double space on a Wiki; it turns into a nightmare. Single spacing is okay.
Personal Values Paragraph
I have valued being sincere for as long as I remember. Every time that someone asks me for their opinion, I will answer truthfully. Often I am doing my
homework next to the warm glow of my desk lamp when my mom is getting back from a shopping spree. She calls for me to look at the new clothes
that she bought, and I will tell her what I really think of them. One time she pulled out a sparkly dress that she thought my sister should wear to an
event and asked for my opinion on the matter. I pointed out to her that the dress did not fit the occasion and that I thought she should return it. Telling
someone what I sincerely thought might not seem like much, but I wanted the newest Pokémon game at that time and probably would have been in a
better standing on getting it if I had resorted to flattery. In my family, my opinion is often valued and is frequently used to make decisions, mostly
because I have a reputation for being sincere, or even blunt with even the most trivial matters. Sometimes when my homework is really boring to me I
like to turn on my shiny, pitch black computer and play video games while working. The monitor whirs to life and I can lose track of time easily. This
makes finishing my homework a slow process and my parents figure it out. My mother will ask me if I have been playing games again when I have
taken an exceptionally longer time to finish my homework that day. Whenever she asks, my value of sincerity binds me to tell the truth, and if I have
then that will be my response. One night when I was lying in bed listening to the crickets chirping outside, I overheard my mom talking about me to my
father. She was talking to him about how I had stayed up so late because I had been playing on my computer again. Later on during the conversation,
she told him that I had a very honest character and had admitted to it, and this made me proud. Although I had made a mistake I had kept true to my
core values. This might be a very different scenario, but just like Hector speaking to Paris, I had spoken my mind with a sincere and honest approach.
Even if everyone has flaws, people who are sincere and truthful outshine their faults, just like a rough gem can have a scratch, but when it is cut, the
scratch is removed and it is whole once more. Lying eats away at a person's identity, and even feeling whole again for seconds is better than leading a
life of lies. As the famous author José Saramago once wrote, "If I'm sincere today, what does it matter if I regret it tomorrow?" Being sincere has its
own benefits that are worth far more than anything else.
A good idea to end with Jose Saramago's quotation. The quotation matches beautifully with the examples in your essay. Good job! I don't think sincerity is valued by many people. We live in a world where it seems much easier to depend heavily upon empty phrases, flattery, and white lies.